2 Samuel 2

This is the second chapter of 2 Samuel. After David mourns the deaths of Saul and Jonathan in 2 Samuel 1, this chapter recounts the division of the kingdom into Judah and Israel and the outbreak of civil war.

Outline

• Verses 1–4 After inquiring of the LORD, David goes up to Hebron with his two wives and his men, and the men of Judah anoint him king over the house of Judah.
• Verses 4–7 David sends messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had buried Saul, blessing them and promising to show them kindness in return.
• Verses 8–11 Abner brings Ish-bosheth to Mahanaim and makes him king over all Israel. Ish-bosheth is forty years old when he becomes king and reigns two years, while David reigns over Judah in Hebron for seven years and six months.
• Verses 12–17 At the pool of Gibeon, twelve young men from each side fight one another, and all of them fall together (Helkath-hazzurim); in the battle that follows, Abner's side is defeated.
• Verses 18–23 The swift-footed Asahel pursues Abner and, refusing to turn aside despite two warnings, is killed by Abner's spear.
• Verses 24–28 At sundown Abner calls for an end to the fighting, and Joab blows the trumpet to halt the pursuit.
• Verses 29–32 David's side loses nineteen men in addition to Asahel, while Abner's side loses 360. Asahel is buried in his father's tomb in Bethlehem.

Key Verses

• 2 Samuel 2:4 "And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah." — This scene marks the formal beginning of David's reign.
• 2 Samuel 2:26 "Shall the sword devour for ever?" — The question exposes the tragedy of a civil war fought within a single people.

People and Places

• Abner — The son of Ner and captain of Saul's host (commander of the army).
• Ish-bosheth — A son of Saul. He appears as "Eshbaal" in 1 Chronicles 8:33.
• Joab, Abishai, and Asahel — The three sons of Zeruiah. According to 1 Chronicles 2:16, Zeruiah was David's sister.
• Abigail and Ahinoam — David's two wives.
• Mahanaim — A city east of the Jordan and the seat of Ish-bosheth's government.
• Gibeon — A city in the territory of Benjamin and the site of the pool where the two sides faced each other.

Points for Reflection

• Several explanations have been offered for the discrepancy between Ish-bosheth's two-year reign and David's reign of seven years and six months. Some hold that Ish-bosheth came to the throne several years after Saul's death; others propose an interval between Ish-bosheth's death and David's accession as king over all Israel.
• The text does not say by what means David inquired of the LORD. 1 Samuel 30:7–8 records an inquiry made by means of the ephod.
• David's anointing unfolds in three stages: his private anointing by Samuel (1 Samuel 16), his accession as king of Judah in this chapter, and his accession as king over all Israel (2 Samuel 5:3).
• The word "kindness" in verses 5–6 renders the Hebrew hesed and reflects David's attitude toward the men of Jabesh, who had kept faith with Saul.
• Asahel's death leads to Joab's killing of Abner in 2 Samuel 3.